A Task Force of five American Generals and two Law and Military experts have established a report to make an assessment of the Gaza Conflict of 2014. This Task Force closely studied the evolution of Hamas’s strategy and Israel’s response, based on primary source research and discussions with senior Israeli, Palestinian and United Nations officials.

The Task Force Members:

General Charles Wald, USAF (ret.), Task Force Chair

Former Deputy Commander of United States European Command

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV, USA (ret.)

Former Commander, U.S. Army North

Lieutenant General Richard Natonski, USMC (ret.)

Former Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command

Major General Rick Devereaux, USAF (ret.)

Former Director of Operational Planning, Policy, and Strategy - Headquarters Air Force

24/06/2015

In light of the current wave of unrelenting attacks against Israel's legitimacy, we the undersigned organizations have joined together to hold a rally in support of Israel. To all who hold dear the value of human rights and democracy we call you to join us on June 29th between the hours of 12:00 to 15:00 in Geneva at Place des Nations.

Israel is the stronghold of democracy in a region where this basic value is threatened on all fronts. Today hegemony and radicalism threaten to thwart the fervent desire of all the people of the region for a better life, a thriving economy and stable and democratic governance. At this critical time Israel's legitimacy is being threatened on many fronts, the right to defend itself is being challenged and false allegations are being leveled in order to divert attention from true abuse of innocent civilian populations.

It is urgent for all to rally together in solidarity and show the world that we will not let agents of terror cynically abuse organizations such as the UN as a platform to wage political war against Israel and manipulate public opinion.

23/06/2015

Israel is studying the Commission of Inquiry Report (COI) from the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (UNHRC). However, some initial comments can be made about the COI process in general:

1)It is well known that the entire process that led to the production of this report was politically motivated and morally flawed from the outset. Just as Israel seriously considered every complaint, no matter its origin, it will also seriously study this report. We take note of the fact that the authors of this report admitted that they lacked much of the relevant information.

It is regrettable that the report fails to recognize the profound difference between Israel’s moral behavior during Operation Protective Edge and the terror organizations it confronted.

2) This report was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution, given an obviously biased mandate, and initially headed by a grossly biased chairperson, William Schabas. The UNHRC has a singular obsession with Israel, passing more country specific resolutions against Israel than against Syria, Iran and North Korea combined - in fact, more than against all other countries combined. The commission of inquiry's mandate presumed Israel guilty from the start and its original chairman, William Schabas, was compelled to resign due to a blatant conflict of interest (paid work for the Palestinians), which he concealed from the United Nations.

3)The COI also lacked the necessary tools and expertise to conduct a professional and serious examination of armed conflict situations.

Israel will consider the report in light of these essential failings. It would encourage all fair-minded observers to do the same.

4)Israel is a democracy committed to the rule of law, forced to defend itself against Palestinian terrorists who commit a double war crime: They indiscriminately target Israeli civilians while deliberately endangering Palestinian civilians, including children, by using them as human shields.

5)In defending itself against attacks, Israel's military acted according to the highest international standards. This was confirmed by a comprehensive examination by Israeli military and legal experts, as well as reports produced by internationally renowned military professionals.

6)Israel will continue to uphold its commitment to the law of armed conflict despite the brutal tactics of its enemies. Israel will continue to investigate alleged wrongdoing in accordance with international standards and to cooperate with those UN bodies that conduct themselves in an objective, fair and professional manner.

15/06/2015

On July 7, 2014, the Government of Israel ordered the Israel Defense Forces to launch an aerial operation against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. This operation, termed “Operation Protective Edge”, was launched in response to increasing rocket and mortar fire on Israel from the Gaza Strip during June and early July 2014, and despite Israel's continued efforts at de-escalation. On July 17, 2014, as a result of Hamas's continued rejection of ceasefire initiatives, ongoing rocket and mortar fire and the execution of attacks in Israeli territory by sea and through cross-border assault tunnels, the Government of Israel authorized the entry of ground forces into a limited area of the Gaza Strip. These ground forces were tasked with identifying and neutralizing the cross-border assault tunnels, which originated from the outskirts of the urban areas of the Gaza Strip. The ground forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip on August 5, after locating and neutralizing 32 cross-border assault tunnels, and despite ongoing rocket and mortar attacks against Israel. The 2014 Gaza Conflict concluded on August 26, with an unconditional ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The following link is to official documents concerning factual and legal aspects of the 2014 Gaza Conflict, including an executive summary (hereby attached) and the full report. These documents provide information on the following topics: background to the armed conflict that Hamas has waged against Israel for over a decade; the circumstances that led Israel to launch Operation Protective Edge; the effect of Hamas's attacks on Israel's civilian population and Israel's civil defense measures; the tactics of Hamas and other terrorist organizations during the conflict and their violations of international law; detailed factual and legal information concerning the actions of the IDF during the conflict, including the steps taken before and during the conflict to ensure Israel's compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict; and Israel's examination and investigation mechanism for dealing with alleged misconduct by IDF forces.

To access all the documents, please click on the following link: http://protectiveedge.gov.il